Friday, 29 Mar 2024

Trudeau to offer update on Canada’s coronavirus pandemic response

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to provide an update on his government’s response to the novel coronavirus outbreak on Sunday.

Trudeau will address Canadians at 11:15 a.m. ET from Rideau Cottage, where he is self-isolating.

On Saturday, Trudeau announced “millions” of medical masks would be arriving in Canada from China within 48 hours.

Ottawa is expecting between seven and eight million surgical masks. included in that order are supplies for hard-hit Quebec.

Canada has also leased a warehouse in China to collect and distribute additional supplies “as quickly as possible,” he said.

According to Trudeau, officials are working “day and night” to secure additional, desperately needed personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline workers.

And, while Canada continues to source the PPE from international suppliers, Trudeau said the government is also working with domestic manufacturers.

The prime minister’s comments came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump asked Minnesota-based company 3M to stop exporting N95 masks to Canada.

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Asked about the move, Trudeau said the dialogue was ongoing with U.S. officials, and that he planned to speak with Trump.

“We are continuing to engage in constructive discussions with different levels within the administration to highlight that the U.S. will be hurting itself as much as Canada will be hurting if we see an interruption of essential goods and services flow back and forth across the border,” he said. “We continue to demonstrate that this is a good thing for both of our countries and we look to continue to ensure that essential supplies get across the border.”

Trudeau said, though, that Canada was not planning any retaliatory measures against the U.S.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, by 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, more than 13,800 cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in Canada.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Canada’s chief medical officer, Dr. Theresa Tam said currently Canada’s healthcare system is not overwhelmed by serious cases of COVID-19, but cautioned that the situation could change at any time.

Tam urged Canadians to continue practising physical distancing, and to heed the advice of medical authorities.


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